High-profile Japanese guests sign Palau Pledge at official ceremony
Mr. Mitsuyuki Unno, Executive Director of the Nippon Foundation and Ms. Minako Tanaka, actress and Palau’s Goodwill Ambassador to Japan, sign Palau Pledge, making commitment to Palau’s future generations.
Koror, 13 February 2018: Mr. Mitsuyuki Unno, Executive Director of the Nippon Foundation, and Ms. Minako Tanaka, Japanese screen star and Palau’s Goodwill Ambassador to Japan, today signed the Palau Pledge to help protect Palau’s environment and culture for the next generation and launch the Japanese version of the Palau Pledge website.
Mr. Unno and Ms. Tanaka signed the pledge at a special ceremony held late this afternoon at Palau Royal Resort. The ceremony was witnessed by President Tommy E. Remengesau Jr, First Lady and Chairwoman of the Palau Legacy Project, Debbie Remengesau, and children from across the Republic who helped create the Palau Pledge campaign. The signing will help spread the message about how visitors can protect Palau during their stay, raise awareness of the new Japanese version of the Palau Pledge website, and enhance Palau’s reputation as a premier eco-destination in Japan.
Mr. Unno is in Palau to oversee the handover of the new patrol vessel, command center, support staff and resources that the Nippon Foundation and the Sasakawa Peace Foundation has gifted to Palau to help Marine Law enforce the Palau National Marine Sanctuary (PNMS). Ms. Tanaka flew in from Japan especially for the signing ceremony, which was planned to coincide with Mr. Unno’s visit.
The Palau Pledge is a direct outcome of two of the Marine Sanctuary’s six key pillars: Education and Awareness and Tourism Marketing. Created to link the larger PNMS objectives to both local and visitor communities, the Palau Pledge campaign was designed to help communicate the important role both communities play in preserving and protecting the Palauan environment and culture. Like the tradition of bul, the campaign aims to make enforcement of Palau’s environmental laws, everyone’s job. In addition, the Palau Pledge helps support and deliver on the promise of Pristine Paradise Palau.
The Palau Pledge was launched on December 7, 2017 and is now part of Palau’s official immigration stamp and landing procedure. Visitors are required to sign the Pledge (which is printed in their own language) in their passport, to agree to respect Palau’s environmental laws and culture during their stay. As worldwide momentum and interest in the campaign grows, more versions of the supporting website are being launched with Japanese, Korean, Simplified and Traditional Chinese going live this week.
Ms. Tanaka and Mr. Unno join a long list of celebrities and high-profile people around the world who support the Palau Pledge including, actor Leonardo DiCaprio, former US Secretary of State, John Kerry, businessman Sir Richard Branson and environmental activist and explorer, Dr. Sylvia Earle. The message of the Palau Pledge has reached and resonated with millions of people worldwide via social and traditional media, with many people calling for their own countries to follow Palau’s lead and create a pledge to protect the environment for their children.
On witnessing the signing of the Pledge by Mr. Unno and Ms. Tanaka, President of Palau, Tommy E. Remengesau Jr. said, “We are delighted to have Mr. Unno and Ms. Tanaka take the Palau Pledge today. Protecting Palau for our children’s future is a team effort and must be done in partnership with all our visitors. Palau and Japan have a long history of successful partnerships, and having Mr. Unno and Ms. Tanaka take the Palau Pledge, will help us partner with our Japanese visitors and raise awareness of the responsibility that our generation has to the next. As Palau’s Goodwill Ambassador to Japan, Ms. Tanaka is doing a wonderful job of representing Palau and helping us communicate this to our Japanese guests. We thank Ms. Tanaka and Mr. Unno for all their support, and look forward to welcoming them both back to Palau in the future.”
Upon signing the Palau Pledge, Ms Tanaka, said, “The Palau Pledge is an inspirational initiative and one that I am honored to support. I have visited Palau many times and am a passionate advocate for protecting its stunning environment and beautiful culture. In my role as Goodwill Ambassador, I hope that I can help spread the word about how special Palau is and how everyone can play their part in protecting it. As a Mother myself, I care deeply about the kind of world my children will inherit and the Palau Pledge leaves a positive legacy - not just for Palau’s children, but for children around the world.”
The dedicated website providing information for visitors about the Palau Pledge, is now available in the five main languages of Palau’s visitors. For more information, visit palaupledge.com.
Photos and Press Release Courtesy of the Office of the President, Republic of Palau / Press Release Serial No. PR-18-093 February 14, 2018